Bad Ideas Make The Best Stories
by Noesebi
Summary: Introduction story of Fabio Melozzi, a young and reckless Borgia guard. By disguising himself as one of the assassins, he actually manages to infiltrate the brotherhood. But of course, when a plan looks like it's going to work out, something is about happen to make things harder. When in Rome, do as the romans do.
1. Chapter 1

**Bad Ideas Make the Best Stories**

(Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - fanfic)

Fabio wasn't ready for this.

When he decided to steal the young assassin's robes, whom he had knocked down when the boy tried to strike him while he was on rooftop duty, he expected that it's going to be a dangerous manouver. Dressing up as one of the assassins was in itself a risky idea, more like sprinting and jumping around rooftops, but he managed it. So far he had been able to keep up with the other two assassins, who did not notice the change and waved to him to follow them. He quickly hid the half-naked assassin along with some of his clothes in a roofgarden nearby, then covered his face with the piece of cloth the other man used to hide his features. Having adjusted his disguise, he hurried forward to catch up with the other two assassins, already excited about the „big catch", he might pull off from this.

The actions of the assassins have been giving a hard time for the city guards for quite a long time now. Fabio couldn't help but think about the many times they had been ambushed by these _figli di Satana _and having thought about the many injuries he received from these fights and the memories of the lost comrades Fabio decided, it was about time for a payback.

They kept running for quite a long time, covering a lot of miles before finally stopping at a square. Fabio looked around, panting heavily as he got really tired from all that running; as far as he could tell, they came all the way to the northern part of Rome. From where they stood, he could see all the way to Il Vaticano and as he turned around there was a beautiful view of the Campagna. His - or better say, the young assassin's - companions were a few step ahead already, crouching at the edge of the building and observing the people below.

Fabio walked up to them, looking down the streets; many passerby, townspeople, minstrels and even his fellow guards were there, walking past and tending to their daily business, totally oblivious of the white-hooded assassins above them. Even though it was broad daylight, the assassins could come and go on the rooftops as they pleased (well, their only worries being the archers that patroled the roofs), because nobody on the streets had the idea to look above their heads. Fabio knew they had no reason to, but right now he just wished for someone, anyone to cast their eyes over their viewpoint and alert the patrol troop. He looked around, but there were no archers nearby, and he himself surely would not have been enough to disarm the two of them. If only he could draw attention to their trio somehow...

"Matteo!" One of the assassins called out startling Fabio a little. He looked at the back of his two companions - one of them being broad-shouldered and strong, the other one was rather slim and appeared to be agile - but he had no idea who they could be referring to. It was when, the big guy looked at him that he realised, he probably said the young assassin's name, whose robes were occupied by himself at the moment. Fabio was very grateful for that piece of cloth covering the majority of his face and for the hood so they couldn't see the large drops of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Are you deaf or what? Come on lad, we need to hurry up."

"Yeah, uhhh sorry, I was just... where are we going exactly?" asked Fabio with a hoarse voice. His throat was running dry as his nervousness grew, but he was determined to see this through to the end... wherever that may be. Fortunately his companions didn't get suspicious; the man sighed resignedly, while the other guy started laughing. This guys voice sounded rather soft for that of a man and as Fabio managed to look under the hood, he was surprised to see a woman's features.

"Give him a break, Octavio, it's his first mission, you know" said the woman to Octavio but she looked at Fabio and smiled cheerfully.

"That is really nice of you, Lucia _bello, _but the men we are looking for won't be that permissive. And if he won't start paying attention, it's going to be his first **and** last mission" Octavio retorted, then he turned to Fabio and looked him in the eye sharply, suddenly making the younger man feel very uneasy. The assassin had blue-grey eyes that were framed by thick grey eyebrows; he had a strong jaw and rugged features and by the looks of it, he could be in his late thirties. All in all, he reminded Fabio of a very angry guard-dog.

"Listen here, boy, 'cause I'm gonna explain it only once. We were ordered to track down a couple of Borgia dogswho have been trying to infiltrate the brotherhood. They managed to fool us for some time, but one of the courtesans recognized them and before we could get to them..."

"They managed to escape?" asked Fabio not without any amusement, but Octavio's furious look made him wish he could tie a knot on his tongue.

"_Si_, they did" the man's voice was as cold as a steel blade "We are to meet a couple of thieves near Terme di Diocleziano. They have information on the spies we are looking for."

"And they won't be happy, if we keep them waiting all day long, so I suggest we get moving" said Lucia, gesturing with her thumb towards the landscape behind her, but Octavio kept staring at the younger man for a couple of seconds. A slight confusion appeared in his eyes, which made Fabio slowly move his hand towards his blade.

"Boy, you don't seem very familiar to me" he said slowly. Fabio gulped.

"I... I'm new to the b-brotherhood..."

"Which part of Roma are you from?"

"I... uh..."

"Come on Octa! We'll have plenty of time for chit-chat, but only after we have finished our misson!" said Lucia impatiently. Octavio shrugged and turned away from the other man, letting him ease up a little.

"I was just wondering. But you're right. Let's go!" he answered and walked to the edge of the roof. Fabio let out a relieved sigh. It was only now that he noticed, that it started to get really hot beneath those robes. He let his hands fall down from the hilt of his sword and followed Octavio, only to stop and freeze in his state, when he saw the man spreading his arms and taking a plunge from the roof. He looked at the woman confused, but she didn't even blink an eye, as if jumping off from rooftops was a usual mean of transport. Octavio landed safely in a bale of hay below and was waiting for them to follow him. Lucia looked at Fabio curiously.

"Care to take a try?" she asked playfully as she bowed down slightly and gestured with her hand towards the edge._ Not on your life, sweetheart._ spat Fabio mentally, as he tried to come up with an excuse to get away from this situation.

"Ladies first!" he answered quickly and made the same gesture as Lucia did. The woman's smile widened, as she raised her hand and waved with her index finger while shaking her head slowly.

"A-a-a, nice try, _ragazzo_. Come on, it's not as bad as it looks. Here, let me explain what you need to do" she said and pulled Fabio closer, directing him towards the edge. The young man had only a moment to wonder about the strength, with which Lucia grabbed his arm, then he was already standing on his heels, looking down into the deep beneath him. The building on which they were standing, was situated on the Piazza del Popolo. Next to it and a little lower than the_ piazza_ there was a small plain, on which the ruins of an antique building were scattered. The haybale was placed next to the remnants of a huge marble pillar and right now it looked like it was awfully meager...

Fabio whimpered quietly as he saw Octavio's figure standing near the pillar and waving towards them to hurry up. He tried to measure the distance between him and the ground below, which could be like ten or twenty meters, he wasn't entirely sure.

Fabio soon decided, that if there was any moment, when he could regret his brave and totally senseless decision of disguising himself as an assassin, then this definitely was it. He looked back above his shoulder to try and once more beg the woman not to make him jump into his premature death, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Watch your head!" he heard her voice from behind his other shoulder and before he could have done or even think anything, he felt a hand grabbing his belt on his back, then he was sent off the building as if he was someone's unwanted luggage. Fabio felt the world turn upside-down, as he made a front flip, then came the long, unbearable stage of freefalling through the air. Besides of the wind blowing loudly his ears the only sound he could hear was his own voice screaming inarticulately and desperately.

Landing in the hay felt like running with a great speed against a brick wall that was covered with pillows. His head was a little dizzy after the fall, he felt dull pain in his ribs and he could hear his own blood rushing through the veins in his ears, but otherwise he was just fine. Well, physically.

"You little...! I'm gonna... I'm gonna kill you all!" he sweared and cursed loudly as he climbed out from the hay and tried to regain at least a small portion of his lost dignity. That went harder than he expected, as he was still a little dizzy from the fall and couldn't exactly maintain his balance, so he ended up tumbling back and fort like a drunken sailor trying to learn how to dance. Not very far away from him Octavio was leaning against a white marble pedestal trying to catch his breath while laughing hysterically.

"_Dio mio_, Lucia!" he shouted, wiping off tears from the corner of his eyes "That was genious! Pure fucking genious!"

Fabio decided that he had just enough humilation and adventure for one day. As he was tumbling, he tried to grasp on the hilt of his sword, without considering what he would do if he actually managed to draw it. He figured he would attack the man first - he was mad enough to do so now - then he would finish his partner later.

Probably to his luck, he did not have the opportunity to execute his plan. By the time he managed to get a hold on himself, Lucia had made it to the ground and Octavio had pulled himself together too, although he was still grinning widely. Lucia walked up to the duo and patted Fabio's shoulder, ignoring the furious glare she received in response.

"That's the spirit! Well, it wasn't exactly something out of this world, I know, but at least your head is still on your neck" she said giggling.

"Are you crazy?!" Fabio didn't even try to hide his frustration "What the hell was that?"

"That was a Leap of Faith, my darling. And given the fact, that this was your first leap, this makes you the youngest novice who ever managed to make his first jump without getting a concussion..."

"...or his ribs cracked..." Octavio added.

"...or his legs break..."

"...or his horse killed!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" protested Fabio loudly "I think I had enough of testing my faith for one day. Can we just get moving?"

"Oh look, how he wants to go to work now. See, how quickly a leap can raise the moral, maybe we should do this to all the candidates" Octavio said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Let him be, Octavio, we don't want scare off anyone from joining the brotherhood."

"Shut it Lucia, it was you, who threw him off the roof."

"Yes, but it was your idea..."

"Anyway, the stripling lad's right!" Octavio said, changing the subject suddenly "Enough screwing around for today, let's get down to business!" he said turning around and leaving the two them behind. Lucia walked past Fabio and went after the man without a word. She only stopped once to look back at the younger man, to see whether he's coming or not.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry for the earlier, Octavio really insisted. He always does that to novices, it's his way of saying 'Welcome to the brotherhood'."

"Charming, really. But I'm fine, _grazie." _Fabio said, still in a bit grumpy mood, while catching up to the duo.

_You two are going to fall harder, than I did_ he added in his mind, as he adjusted his hood to cover his face properly. He was looking forward for the moment, when he could finally dispose of those heavy robes - along with his not-too-funny companions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bad Ideas Make the Best Stories**

(Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood fanfic ch.2.)

The young man couldn't believe, he was actually doing this.

Fabio was crouching on top of an old brick wall, balancing carefully as he was watching over the landscape, while his two „beloved" companions were negotiating with the thieves beneath. The wall he was standing on, belonged to a time-worn wrecked building. The house in which the meeting was held, had two floors; the assassins were standing on the upper level. The roof was long gone as well as the door and windows and half of the walls, but it was situated in an unfrequented area and from the top of it one could spot any movement on the road for kilometers.

Fabio shot a glance over the Terme di Diocleziano - the white marble pillars were shimmering softly, as the sun cast light on them - then he returned his gaze over the road. There were several people walking down towards the Centro District and none of them looked like they had anything to do with the local authorities.

The young man sighed heavily and silently cursed the minute for the umpteenth time, when he decided to put on those white robes and proceeded to pose as an assassin. He did this in the hope of finally getting a payback for the troubles these_ figli di puttane_ were causing to them, but as of now it seemed like he made an awful decision. Not only was he unable to hinder their plan, soon he found himself even supporting the duo in their endeavors. He has already given up on capturing the two of them, instead of it he only wished for an opportunity to show up when he can make his escape and return to his guard post. If he would be lucky enough, he would even find the younger assassin, whom he had knocked out earlier, still lying in the roofgarden. He could just grab the guy and turn him in to the local Borgia tower and with the additional information he gained, they could track down the assassins in no time, maybe even the whole organization... In fact, now that he thought about, this is what he should have done in the first place.

_God, I should have just stayed on my post. Why do I have to keep playing the hero?_ he thought gloomily. While he was keeping an eye on the road, he kept his ears open for the conversation going on below.

„What have you discovered?" asked Octavio, getting down to business immediately.

„The guards you are looking for are, to our luck, still in Roma" replied one of the thieves. The guy was about the same age (early twenties) as Fabio, but he already looked like, he had had to deal with a lot during his life. Or at least that's what one might have thought, as his right eye was covered with a bandage. With only one eye left, he measured the assassins carefully even though they were allies. Fabio was grateful, that he wasn't the one doing the talking, because he doubted he could talk to these thugs without arousing suspicion.

„They are separated though" the thief continued „One of them is being held at the Borgia tower near the Campidoglio. He is to be transferred to Castel Saint'Angelo soon, where he will give his report to Cesare himself."

Fabio had a minor heart attack, when he heard the thief mentioning the tower, which was the same Borgia station he was assigned to too. He tightened his grip on the edge of the brick wall and kept listening.

„When will they move him exactly?"

„At dusk, when the guards change shift."

„What about the other guy?" Lucia asked.

„Our spies are currently trying to identify his closer location."

„Wait, what? I thought you had both of them!"

„We could follow him for only a while, then suddenly he disappeared... We think, he might have changed his appearance, after all, we know that he is master at disguising himself good enough to be able to fool even the _assassini_..."

„Careful with your tongue, _ragazzo_, they made a clown of your men too." Lucia warned him in a deeper tone.

„Oh, so now he's wearing a disguise too? _Fantastico!_" said Octavio in a rather annoyed mood. Fabio started to wonder, whether the guy was able to express any other emotions besides being pissed off all the time. Fabio looked back above his shoulder to see, where conversation is going. He wouldn't have minded, if a fight broke out between the four of them, his legs were starting to feel numb after all that balancing on the wall.

„If you have lost track of him, how the hell do you know that he is still in Roma?" stepped Lucia forward, putting her fists on her hips. The thieves looked at each other, as if they waited for a permission from the other one. The guy with the eye-patch silently nodded and they turned back to the assassins, who looked like they were about to explode.

„We too received the news about an hour ago. Apparently there was a breach at the assassin hideout." said the other thief, who has been silent so far. He looked somewhat older, than his partner and his face was mostly covered with a red beard.

Fabio could hear the assassins gasping for air upon hearing the news. He too got excited, although for different reasons, and he didn't even try to hide it this time. He turned his back on the road, which was still as empty as always, and sat down on the wall, legs hanging from the edge. Nobody paid him attention.

„What?! How the hell could that have happened?"

„We don't know what happened exactly. An apprentice brought the news to the tavern and the bossman ordered everyone available to spread the word to the assassins being on a mission in Roma."

„He said, that there was only one intruder. He tried to sneak into the study of the Mentor, but he was stopped before he could get his hands on anything inside. There was a fight, but the intruder managed to escape. He was wearing a disguise and although they didn't see the man's face, they were pretty sure, that it was the guy we are looking for."

„Are there any casualties?" Lucia sounded really worried. Octavio didn't say a word, but Fabio could tell by looking at his shoulders only, that he was very upset.

„Not that I know of..."

„What do we do now?"turned Lucia to Octavio „Octa? Shouldn't we go back to the hideout?"

„We can't abandon our mission. In fact, I think it's importance just grew, now that we have a spy on the loose."

„I agree." said the one-eyed thief „You should at least tie up one loose end, while we keep working on identifying the other one."

„Still, we should give a report to the Mentor on what we have found out."

Silence fell on the small group as everyone proceeded to think over the situation. Fabio's head was spinning from the insane amount of information he overheard in the past few minutes.

_Taverns, bossman, Mentor, hideout... My God, this thing might go deeper than we thought. I wish they would just talk more openly._

He figured he could spend time reflecting on these things later, but in the moment he had more pressuring things to think about, mainly on how he was going to escape. Getting back to the tower became now a lot more important, he had to warn the others that the assassins are planning an attack against them.

_Gosh, I hope they will believe me._

„Matteo!" Octavio called out to the young man, turning towards him suddenly. Fabio recoiled in surprise, almost falling over and down from the wall, but he managed to steel himself. He already forgot his alias, so it took a few moments before he could place himself into the role of the young novice again.

„What... I..."

„Shut up and listen close, lad. I will need you to run back to the hideout as fast as possible and tell Messer Ezio everything you have just heard. Tell him, that we have located the intruder's partner and that we are going to deal with him before sunset."

_Oh, yes. Yes, yes!_ Fabio couldn't believe he was going to be released so easily.

„Wait Octavio, I'll go back with Matteo. Now that the hideout has been compromised, the others could need every helping hand available."

„Oh, come on, Lucia! These guys are though, they don't need a fat nanny to look after them!"

„Who are you calling fat, _stronzo_?!"

„Eh, guys I really appreciate it, but..."

„Enough fooling around, you two!"stepped the red-bearded thief closer „Let them go back to the assassin hideout. We can help you with your mission Octavio." said to the older assassin and his partner nodded in agreement. Octavio stared at the two of them for a few moments, then he let his arms down.

„_Va bene._ That is what we are going to do then."

_Cazzo._ Thought Fabio resignedly, as he slowly began to make his way down on the side of the tiered building. The group parted as soon as they have had come to decision and each went on their respective ways.

„Come on, Matteo, the sooner we get there, the better!" said Lucia and hurried forward, Fabio jogging behind her, surprised that he could barely keep up with the woman's walking pace.

„Hey, wait for me!" he shouted, but Lucia was already on the road and started running towards the city. Fabio had no other choice but to gather all his strength and follow the girl. They ran till they reached one of the smaller villages of the Campagna, where they borrowed two horses from the stables. Fabio clung tightly onto the mane of his dapple gray steed, while he tried to keep himself in the saddle - he wasn't a good rider. As they galloped through the wide green fields, leaving small hamlets and ancient ruins behind, they reached the Centro District, where they had to slow down a little, to be able to maneuver on the narrow streets. Fabio could finally catch up to his companion and began to look for a place where he could execute the plan he had come up with on the way here.

He waited until they got into an alley between two wider streets. Old, ruinous buildings surrounded them and the pavement was covered with litter and fallen debris. Nobody lived in those houses anymore except for the poor and homeless, and the many outcasts, for whom a better life was denied. On the right side Fabio saw a dilapidated gateway leading to a small, enclosed courtyard. Peeping inside, he could spot a small pile of wood in the back - probably stored by someone to make a fire - a big rusty kettle and bale of hay next to it.

_Perfect._ thought Fabio grinning behind his mask, then he turned back. The gray stallion beneath him was not very fond of the slow pace it had been forced to walk in and tossed it's dainty head around nervously. The man reached back and with a flounce, he pulled the horses tail upward. The steed was at first shocked by this action, then he became furious and started bouncing around in the small alley, snickering loudly. Lucia immediately stopped her horse and looked back at the duo, slightly annoyed by the sight.

„_Per l'amor di Dio_, Matteo! Have you not ridden a horse in your life? We don't have time to play!"

Fabio shouted in agreement, while tried to keep his balance. Once the stallion had all four feet on the ground, he spurred the horse, striking his heels hard into the side of the animal. The steed gave a loud snort, then it reared, bucking off his rider. Fabio released the reins and fell on the ground, trying to cover his head with his arms. He fell on his left side and hit his ribs, but he wasn't injured anywhere seriously. The dabble gray decided he had more than enough for one day and charged forward, leaving his former rider on the ground. Lucia could barely steer her horse away from the galloping steed, as her mount was startled by the nickers of the other. When she could get a hold of herself and managed to calm down her horse, she got off from the saddle and ran back to Fabio, who was still lying on the ground.

The young man waited until the woman crouched beside of him, leaning over his body to look for injuries. He had a stone in hand, which he picked up from the ground, and waited to charge like a rattle-snake. As she rolled him over, he struck swiftly, hitting the woman on the temple. She was caught off guard and had no possible chance to defend herself. She was hit hard, but not hard enough to lose her consciousness yet. Fabio quickly got on his knees and struck her once more, this time she could dull the force of the strike with her hands. The young man became impatient. He dropped the stone, then grabbed the dazed woman by her long hair and started to drag her into the small yard.

He tossed her on the ground next to the haystack, then grabbed her robes beneath her chin and lifted her slightly, looking into her eyes - those beautiful emerald eyes - once more.

„Watch your head." he said with grim pleasure, then punched her for the third time, finally knocking her out cold. Hiding the body in the hay took only a minute, then he hurried back into the alley. Before he could get back in the saddle, he had to wait a couple of moments as his heart was still pounding loudly in his chest.

_Gosh, I'm such an idiot..._

The woman was knocked out for good, but she was alive nonetheless and will be back on her feet in few hours tops. Fabio had no doubts that if their paths happen to cross again, she is going to give him something way more painful in return.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bad Ideas Make the Best Stories**

(AC:Brotherhood fanfic chapter 3)

_It is amazing, how one's life can take such a drastic turn in so little time. And this is all because of one stupid decision._

Fabio was forced into a most uncomfortable position, while he was clinging to the edge of the well, feet pressed against the wall, hanging like a monkey and cursing his ill fate silently under his hood.

Not much time passed since he got rid of his beloved assassin companion by knocking her out and hiding her body into a haystack. It could have seemed like a permanent goodbye, but Fabio knew very well, that he bought not more than a few hours for himself. Since he made his escape, his only thought was to get back to his guard post and alert the captain about the planned assassin attack against their tower. He would have been on his way to the guardhouse right now, if it weren't for those two assassins standing just beside the well, he was hiding in.

Fabio was rushing through the narrow streets, watching carefully his surroundings, not to run into anymore trouble, nor his fellow guards - it would have been difficult and time consuming to explain, why he is running around wearing assassin robes. He wondered though, if anyone had already noticed that he was gone...

He turned around the last corner, then took a snap turn and hid behind the wall. The alley led to a small square, that was surrounded by tall buildings with a well in the middle of it. There were a few people walking by, but Fabio was more concerned about the two guards standing at the opposite side of the square. They were privates and he couldn't see an officer nearby, which was a good thing. He might have a better chance talking to these guys to let him go, than he would have if he got into an argument with a bighead sergeant.

After a few minutes contemplating he finally made up his mind. He pulled off his hood and the mask covering his face, took a deep sigh to reassure himself, then turned around the corner and started walking towards the guards. The guy on the right noticed him immediately and eyed the young man carefully, while reaching for his hilt. He alerted his partner, but the other guy looked to an entirely different way, somewhere above heads, as if there was something on the side of the building. His partner could only see his eyes getting larger and filling with horror, then he was struck down by a figure wearing a cape from behind. The remaining guard grabbed his sword and started pulling it out. He opened his mouth to scream, but was quickly silenced by a second figure, that seemingly appeared from nowhere behind him.

Fabio stood at the center of the square, when all this happened; he couldn't yet believe what he had just witnessed, for it lasted only for a moment. He kept standing there frozen and staring with blank eyes at the dead bodies. One of them was stabbed in the back: the blade pierced through his lungs, broke the ribs and came out of the body through the chest. The other guy got his throat cut with a knife; even after he stopped moving, his crimson red blood kept pouring down on the stone and started to form a puddle. It looked like red velvet. Fabio could smell the characteristic odor of freshly spilled blood from where he was staying. The two murderers were standing still above their victims, as if waiting for them to bleed out totally. Both of them were wearing dark capes, their hood pulled up to cover their faces. They held their weapons steadily on their sides, blood still dripping from the blades.

A women's cry brought Fabio back to reality. The few people, who were also around when the murder happened now started to panic. Some of them ran away immediately, some of them kept standing there and screamed 'Assassins! Murder!' and cried for help, for more guards. Fabio didn't join the stampede; without hesitation, he stepped to the well, sat down on the edge, flung up his legs and jumped into the dark hole, like a rabbit jumping into it's hollow.

_First a rabbit, now a monkey, and we barely made it past lunchtime just yet..._ He thought gloomily.

The feeling in his hands started to drift from numb to very very painful, and he doubted that when the coast clears, he will have the strength left, to climb out. He tried to fasten his grip on the edge, but didn't want to reveal his hiding position. He was sweating hard from the strain that was put on his muscles, he couldn't help but let out an agonizing sigh. He heard that the two assassins were still out there; they were talking to each other, but Fabio couldn't make out the words - and frankly speaking, he wasn't really interested anymore.

_How odd, that whenever we try to trace the assassins, they are nowhere to be found, but when you try to avoid them, it's suddenly a goddamn reunion... Also, if they don't finish talking soon, I'm going to pee my pants._

„So what do you think, Bruno?" came the voice suddenly from above him „Shall we leave him be, or we wait another hour for him to crawl out?"

„Stop joking, Giordano and get him out of there! We don't have all day!"

Fabio suddenly felt two strong hands that grabbed his arms and started pulling him up and out of the well. He started panicking and tried to break free, but then the two guys tugged his arms and just pulled him out like one pulls a carrot. Fabio felt generally miserable, while he got back on his feet; he had his fare share of being tossed around for one day, also he was pretty sure he is going to be in trouble now. Surprisingly, they started laughing and patted him in the back.

„No worries, _ragazzo_, we're here to help. We saw that you were about to challenge those two gentlemen-" he poked with his thumb behind him - „ so we thought, we try and help out a little. I hope it's not a... Problem." said the assassin and uncovered his face. His partner did the same and Fabio suddenly stood in front two perfectly alike people. The twins were far older than him, he thought they could be around the same age as Octavio, the other veteran assassin he met earlier. They had short brown hair, which started to turn grey on their temple; finely lined eyebrows framed their black eyes, that were shining with amusement and slight curiosity.

„I... uh... I..."

„Who are you, boy?" one of the twins looked at him carefully, as if trying to remember him „Forgive me, but I don't think I remember seeing you."

„I'm new to the brotherhood. I'm a novice." Fabio answered quickly.

„And already out on missions all by yourself?" The other twin looked at him surprised. „Who recruited you?"

„Well, the Mentor, of course." Fabio said the first thing that popped into his mind. He wished he didn't just say something utterly stupid, but the two remained relaxed, although their face lit up a little when he mentioned the name.

„So, Messer Ezio is still in Roma. That is good news."

„Good indeed, brother. Speaking about news, I have heard some strange things about some spies..."

„... That possibly infiltrated the brotherhood. Which I find completely ridiculous and unbelievable."

„_Si._ You see, we may or may not have been out on a mission abroad for quite a long time and didn't really catch on the latest news yet. Is that true, that some Borgia spies actually managed to outrun la Volpe's best men?"

The two men looked at Fabio, waiting patiently for answers, and the young man could hardly repress a laugh that was about to burst out of him. He took a few moments to readjust his expression, then took a deep breath, looked at the twins and started talking.

The man stood at the window, glaring out at the city. The tufts of his long, black hair fell over his shoulder uncombed and inordinately, his cheeks were sunken, his dark eyes weary from the many troubles and duties, that he had to carry throughout his life. He had a busy night and while he managed to get some rest, when he got back to his hiding place, he found it in complete disarray. There was an incursion at the headquarters and while nobody got injured and no information was stolen, the intruder still got away. He was already dog-tired so after getting the ducks in row and letting la Volpe take over the wheel, he returned to his personal bedroom to sleep for a few hours.

He figured, when he finally got up and stepped in front of the window, that it was probably about noon, or even past it already - the walls of the buildings bathed in white sunlight and sounds of the people walking on the narrow streets and the voice of the reached all the way up to the quarters on the second floor, where Ezio was staying currently.

He stepped away from the window and looked around in the small room. The place was puritan and shabby, it wasn't exactly overwhelmed with furniture. There was an old dresser at the other side filled with clothes, next to it was a basin and a jug full of cold water; the only other piece of furniture in the room was a bed, that stood in the corner. Next to it, where Ezio stood, was a stand-in that held the robes of master assassin. The walls were undecorated, only a coat-rack and two shelves hang there, on which Ezio kept his weapons.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from behind the thick wooden door, then somebody knocked.

„_Un minuto!_" shouted Ezio, then jumped to the bed and started searching frantically for his trousers. He barely managed to hitch up his pants, when the door opened and a very nervous-looking apprentice stormed in.

„Forgive my impudence, Maestro, but this is urgent!" he shouted panting, then almost bit his tongue, when he noticed the hardly dressed Ezio. The master assassin let a resigned sigh out and smiled at the boy, although his smile was not his kindest one.

„Well, what is done, is done. Continue, please." he answered, then kept on getting dressed.

„_Mi dispiace, Maestro_. Lucia has just returned to headquarters: she brought news on the case of the Borgia spies. She and Octavio managed to track down both of them; one of them is being kept at the Borgia tower near Campidoglio and he is to be transferred today at dusk to the Castel Saint'Angelo. Octavio and two of la Volpe's men are already off to deal with him."

„Great. What about the other one?"

„Well, this is where the story gets complicated" said the young man and took a deep breath, like before taking a leap of faith. Ezio stopped for a moment and looked at him puzzled, he didn't like the worried look on the boy's face.

„Lucia and Octavio took one of the novices, Matteo Silvestroni with them on the mission. Apparently, some time during their endeavors the guy got attacked and he was replaced by an impostor..."

„What? You don't mean to tell me..."

„...that It was the same guy, who broke into the headquarters? No, he wasn't. He was with Lucia and Octavio the whole time during which the incursion happened."

„So that means, there are now three of them. God, I hope this is not a habit they are planning to acquire, unless we're done for. How much does he know?"

„Not enough to compromise the brotherhood. But he still managed to eavesdrop on the conversation with la Volpe's men, he knows that we are closing in on the spies."

„How did Lucia not discover, that he was a spy too? Did she not know Matteo before?"

„Not really. It was their first mission and, I believe, their first interaction at all."

„So the impostor had a relatively easy job misleading them. That is very reassuring, yeah. Do you guys never talk to each other or what?" Ezio didn't spare the sarchasm out of his voice.

„I... uh..."

„I'm sorry, I did not mean it. But this situation is getting more and more complicated and I fear we are being led by our nose so easily, that is almost hilarious. And I don't like being laughed out."

„Yes, sir."

„Tell everyone available to assemble in the ceremony chamber in twenty minutes, I'd like to talk all of them. Send a note to our allies too, keep them posted on the events, and ask them to keep their eyes and ears open for any piece of information."

„Yes, sir, right away." said the young man and turned his back to walk out of the room.

„Hold on for a moment!" shouted Ezio after him, while he finally managed to put his robes on. He slid his stiletto into it's sheat, adjusted his belt, then turned back to face the young man, who stood in the doorway, looking at his maestro with great admiration. Forty-seven or not, Ezio still had a very awe-inspiring aura; his shoulders broad, his arms strong, covered with snow-white robes, the shape of which vaguely reminded the young man of the feathers of an eagle. His cape was idly draped over his shoulder and his eyes, though they looked weary, were shining with strong determination and imperturbability.

„Where is Lucia? I'd like to talk to her too."

„She is in the spare room. She is currently being tended though, she is badly injured."

„What happened?"

„The impostor struck her down, when they were heading back to the headquarters. Octavio was not with them that time annymore, so he could take on Lucia by surprise."

„Still, Lucia isn't the kind of woman, who let's herself get thrown on her back so easily. Believe me, I tried." he said with a serious expression, that left the young man speechless.

„Just kidding. I already had her in my bed."

„What?" The young man looked with a horrified expression at Ezio, who could not hold it together anymore and just burst out laughing.

„Don't worry, man, I'd never do such a thing." he said laughing and patted the boy on the back „We are brothers and sisters, and Lucia is one of the fiercest and most admirable women I have met in my life. And believe me boy," he said with a wink „I have met a few."

The young man rolled his eyes and just walked out of the room, leaving the statement unanswered. Ezio looked dumbfounded for a moment, then followed the boy with his arms wide open.

„Oh, come on, I didn't mean it like THAT!"


End file.
